new grad RNs.... let Gov Rell know we are STARVING!

so lets do something about it. obviously we are all in the same boat here............ starving, no jobs and student loans coming due! let's help ourselves............. post how you feel and then we can print everything and send to her!

Governor Rell,
graduated in May after being in school for 6 years. I passed NCLEX in July.... so I am a resistered nurse. I worked at a boy scout camp this summer as a resistered nurse for $300.00 per week for 40+ hours. I took that opportunity, not for the money, but to get out of the house! I applied and applied and applied everywhere I could think of. I never even had an interview, or the courtesy of a response. I got to the point that if one more person said " I thought there was a nursing shortage" or "have you applied blah blah blah", I was going to run screaming out of the room. I am working now, but that is besides the point. I have to ask........... WHAT NURSING SHORTAGE?????? NO nursing shortage in CT, just a shortage of NURSING JOBS! This state probably has hundreds if not thousands LOOKING FOR WORK. Check for yourself if you do not believe me. Thanks for listening.

Governor Rell,
graduated in May after being in school for 6 years. I passed NCLEX in July.... so I am a resistered nurse. I worked at a boy scout camp this summer as a resistered nurse for $300.00 per week for 40+ hours. I took that opportunity, not for the money, but to get out of the house! I applied and applied and applied everywhere I could think of. I never even had an interview, or the courtesy of a response. I got to the point that if one more person said " I thought there was a nursing shortage" or "have you applied blah blah blah", I was going to run screaming out of the room. I am working now, but that is besides the point. I have to ask........... WHAT NURSING SHORTAGE?????? NO nursing shortage in CT, just a shortage of NURSING JOBS! This state probably has hundreds if not thousands LOOKING FOR WORK. Check for yourself if you do not believe me. Thanks for listening.

I am in your canoe and loooking for a way out as well , what's going to get nurses employed what do we need to do! thankyou for your post

I am in your canoe and loooking for a way out as well , what's going to get nurses employed what do we need to do! thankyou for your post

This petition is certainly a cry for help we worked so hard for many years and now we are stuck., btw gov's rell's daughter is a nurse maybe she has some input.

Nov 16, '09

Just thought I'd pass this on:
The hospital in Norwich has 20+ job openings.

Nov 22, '09

They aren't for new grads though. I've applied. You get a nice friendly email sent to you stating that the positions are only for experienced nurses, and new grads are only being hired through the nurse residency program. Pretty much the same message from all the hospitals.

Governor Rell,
graduated in May after being in school for 6 years. I passed NCLEX in July.... so I am a resistered nurse. I worked at a boy scout camp this summer as a resistered nurse for $300.00 per week for 40+ hours. I took that opportunity, not for the money, but to get out of the house! I applied and applied and applied everywhere I could think of. I never even had an interview, or the courtesy of a response. I got to the point that if one more person said " I thought there was a nursing shortage" or "have you applied blah blah blah", I was going to run screaming out of the room. I am working now, but that is besides the point. I have to ask........... WHAT NURSING SHORTAGE?????? NO nursing shortage in CT, just a shortage of NURSING JOBS! This state probably has hundreds if not thousands LOOKING FOR WORK. Check for yourself if you do not believe me. Thanks for listening.

I've written two letters to the Governor. I actually got a response from one of her assistance on her behalf. The letter from her assistant just pretty much told things I already knew and have been doing.

In my letter to the Governor I stated there is not a nursing shortage , but a shortage of nursing jobs for new grads and those like myself with less than one year experience.

My second letter to her pretty much stated hurry up and come up with a budget so places can started hiring new grads and inexpereinced nurses.

I have yet to get a response from her for my second letter I sent.

Dec 12, '09

Try LTC, Sub-acute, Rehab, Dialysis, Home care and develomental disabilities (formerly DMR) - they are all still hiring in various areas of the state. Maybe the days are gone for awhile for fresh out of school nurses to get hospital jobs without experience first. There is no real nursing shortage, it's media hype and has been for years. However, there are shortages in areas where either 1) RN's don't want to work such as above and 2) those which require additional certfifcations or degrees such as critical care and advanced practice nurses. You could also consider relocating to the areas where there are nursing shortages, those without so many nursing schools.
The Governor can't get you a job any more than she can anyone else that has spent years in college and can't find a job. Now you have to compete with all those who are entering ADN programs because the media keeps hyping nursing as "recession proof" and promoting the idea that the best job a person can get with the least amout of schooling is RN. Now we have people (and I've met more and more recently) who went into nursing only for the money and not because they care. Hopefully they burn out fast so that people like the new grads posting here who actually love nursing can find jobs.
One more thing, sady, the recession has also allowed employers to go back to the good old days and treat their nursing staff like crap because now nurses don't have the freedom to leave those kind of jobs. Things will get better, the recession won't last forever (I hope) and there will be jobs again. For now, you might have to think outside the box (hospital work) and get by til you can get what you want. Best of luck. I know how frustrated you must be.

Dec 12, '09

I cringe when I see these posts. It makes us sound like whiners. There are new grads in other career fields having just as hard a time finding a job. If your going to whine to the governor, have some solutions to propose as well.